With a father that was a professional artist for almost 40 years, I have always been surrounded by art. While I have always enjoyed drawing and sketching, it wasn’t until I started working with timber that I found what I loved to do.
The construction industry has provided my main source of work since leaving school, and as a builder, it has helped satisfy my love of designing and creating things. It was in my early teens however, that I discovered how I could make the most of that love in working with timber. Particularly since I discovered the ancient art of Marquetry, which is the technique of using wood veneers, or very thinly sliced pieces of timber to create a pattern or picture.
I was about 16 when I was at a craft fair with my mother, and I saw an older man sitting at a table, meticulously cutting pieces of timber to create a picture. Instantly enthralled, I started asking questions and that gentleman gladly obliged with answers. My mother bought me a starter kit, and I was hooked. Since then I have done, and continue to do lots of learning, mostly the hard way, in trying to improve my skills in this technique.
There are many things I love about Marquetry, one being I get to work with rare and beautiful timbers that otherwise would be far too expensive or unattainable in solid form. Secondly, a marquetry image can be applied to almost anything from wall art, furniture, jewellery etc. A spin off benefit of using wood veneers, is that it makes the most of in my opinion our most stunning natural resource…wood.